Feeding mechanism



SLCOOPER.

v FEEDING MECHANISM. APPLIQATION men JUNE 29, 1920.

Patented Sept. 5, 1922.

H (a W S. COOPER.

FEEDING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED :unzzs. 1920.

1,428,324, PatentedSept. 5,1922.

II SHEETS-SHEET 2.

S. COOPER.

FEEDING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED rum-:29, 1920.

Patented Sept. 5,1922.

ll SHEETS-SHEET 4.

Patented Sept. 5, 1922.

m W@\ W m w vww AM Q L Y n Ill/I I: x W W r r x r r r r 6 r Q. r k h S.COOPER.

FEEDING MECHANISM. APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29, 1920.

o MM 6. 9 T 1 n 5 & f mw )WN WE K S w sm d 1 HHJH W 1 MN WMN ul WV M m mB QQM m... m\ Mm, ms 5% SLCOOPER.

FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED J'UNE29, 1920.

S. COOPER.

FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 29. 19-20.

Patented Sept. 5-, 1922.

11 SHEETSSHEET 8- S. COOPER. FEEDING MECHANISM. APPLICATION men JUNE 29.1920.

PatentedSept. 5,192.

l I SHEETS-$11! 9.

s. COOPER. FEEDING MECHANISM.

I XPPLICYATION FILED JUNE g9, 1920. 1,428,324. I PatentedSeptfi, 1922.

r1 SHEETS-SHEET \o.

jizaeizzb 1" W S. COOPER.

FEEDING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION HLED JUNE 29, I920.

324 Patented Sept. 5,

H SHEETS-4H! I l.

JZQZE UNI-T D45mm' PATENT oer-"ice.

SIMON coornn, or mooxnm, new as's enon. TO sr'EEnAuMArIc com la n? 'Aconsortrron or DELAVJARE. Q v

i rnnmne mncrmnrsia.

Application filed canoes, 1920. Serial No 392,759.

To all 101 10922, it may concern; 1 a 1 A i 1 Be it known that I, SIMONCoornn, a citi-j zen oft-he United States,v residingatBrooklyn, in thecounty of, Kings and "State of New York have invented new-and usefulImprovements in 1 Feei'ling; Mechanism; 7 of which-the following a;full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference be ngghad to theaccompanying drawing, forming a.

part ofthis specification. 1 My invention relatesto HHPI'OVBIDQIN'S infeeding machines and .the:flike,,-which are particularly adapted forthe-handling of newspapers, pamphlets, vperiodicals magazines andsimilar articles, though my 1nvention is not necessarily limited initsause -to these specific articles. 1

By means ofmy; present invention each article may be handledindividually andwde'w livered as such toanotheizsassociatedizm'echanismor machine, such as an addressing andchine, with which a deviceembodying a conjunction. a

One object of my pmvideia feeding mechanism whereby the feeding-ofarticles, as individual units n'iay be automatically effected withoutinterruption, the articles being delivered 11] pro);-

iniity to fceding rolls-from asource ,of sup ply that is intermittentlydrawn LlPOIlmby automaticaneans to supply a iCOllGOlLlOIlJ of sucharticles adjacent tosaid feeding rolls."

The feeding rolls serve to-automatically; and

independently deliver the articles as individual units from thecollection'inimveifliately adjacent to said feeaihng rolls. Thiscollection is replenished with articles from the ,nal source of supplyby autoi'natic means cooperating with thefeeding rolls so-as to ensure asteady'and continuous ejectionof articles from my feeding me'chanismtoany other machine, such as a mailing machine,

addressing machine, or a'wrapping machine that may be associated withthe "feeding mechanism of niy present invention.

My present invention embodies affeeding mechanism that serves to del verthe articles in question to various machines wherein it may be desiredorrequired toha'ndle andmanipulate the" articles individually. Thefeedin rolls incorporated in the I present embodiment of my feedingmechanismare adapted to operate continuously-1nrorderform \oifunyinvention may be working "in present invention is to asteadysupply ofsuch articles maybe (BXPGCU hlQUSlY,QJGCtBCl and submitted forsubsequent handling without interruption.

The feeding rolls are automatically supplied with the individualarticles which are dc vered to them from a collection ofsuch articlesthat is disposed immediately adjacent to :the feeding rolls. Thiscollection of articles is maintained adequate at all times through theoperation of automatic means which replenishes the collection adjacentto the feecing rolls from a large source of Another object of'myinvention is to pro- VlClG a machine for automatically feeding newspaiers, periodicals and the like which incorporates a conveyor mechanism"that is intermittently operated ,in accordance with the size of thecollection of articles that are subjectto immediate delivery asindividual units to the feeding rolls. This conveyor mechanism iscapable of handling the articles in-bnll: and ofautomaticallydeliverthem to a location adjacent to the feeding rolls a a v A furtherobject of my invention is to Provide means in a machine of the characterindicated above whereby the articles deliveredby the aforesaid coreyor-ymecjhanism are automatically stacked or arranged in a suitablepile immediately adjacent to the feeding rolls, the height of this-pileor stack of articles serving to automatically regulate the intermittentoperation ofthe said-conveyor mechanism. a I v A. further object of myinvention'isto incorporate in a machine of this general type, means forautomatically handling as individual units each of the articlesCOIIlprised in the pile ofarticles immediately adjacent to the feedingrolls, this handling of each article; as separate unit, being"continually effected irrespective of the intermittentdelivery of aplurality of such articles to this pile by the said conveyor mechanism.i

A further ob ect of my lnvent-ron 1s to provide automatic means fortamping the pile or stack of articles immediately adjacent to thefeeding rolls in order to maintain the pile in regular order and topreclude disarrangement of the articles comprised therein. This tampingoperation is performed by means that does not hinder or oppose theindividual handling of each separate article and the subsequent deliverythereof to the feeding rolls.

Another object of my invention is to provide a machine possessing theattributes stated above which will be simple and compact inconstruction, durable, effective and efficient in operation.

To the attainment of the foregoing objects and to the accomplishment ofother new and useful objects, as will hereinafter appear, my inventionconsists in the features of novelty in the construction, combination andarrangement of the mechanism hereinafter more fully described and shownin the accompanying drawings that illustrate a machine embodying a formof my invention, and in which:

Fig. 1, is a side view in elevation of a machine constructed inaccordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the mechanism of Fig. 1 andshows two successive positions, one in dotted lines and one in fulllines, occupied by the members 35 and 39;

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation and transversely of the view of Fig. 1taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; a

Fig. 1 is a view, partially in cross-section and partially in elevation,of the conveyor ilrriechanism taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 5 is aplan View of a portion of the mechanism shown on the right-hand side ofthe figure illustrated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a side view, partially in section, taken along the line 5-5 ofFig. 5, the view of F i 6, however, including portions of the mec anismnot comprised in Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 wherein several of the members areillustrated as occupying other positions which they may assume duringthe operation of my ma chine;

Fig. 8 is a view, partially in elevation and partially in section, of amechanism incorporated in my machine which is placed in proximity of thestack of articles adjacent to the feeding rolls and serves to precludemore than one article being raised at a time for delivery to the feedingrolls;

Fig. 9 is a transverse view taken along the line 99 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a view, partially in elevation and partially in section,taken along the line 77 of big. 5;

Fig. 11 1s a cross-sectional view showing Fig. 14 is a View similar toFig. 13, showing the pneumatic control mechanism of Fig. 13 in adifferent position;

Fig. 15 is a sectional view taken along the line 15-15 of Fig. 13;

Fig. 16 is a plan view of a portion of the mechanism illustrated in Fig.1 showing the arrangement of parts by means of which the grippm finger102 of Figs. 6 and 7 is operate Fig. 17 is a View in elevation takenalong the line 12-12 of Fig. 16;

Fig. 18 is a view similar to that in Fig. 17 showing the elementscomprised in Fig. 17 as occupying changed positions;

Fig. 19 is a view, partially in elevation and partially in section,taken along the line lei-14 of Fig. 18;

Fig. 20 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 1515 of Fig. 18;

Fig. 21 is an enlarged View in elevation of a portion of the drivingmechanism shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 22 is a view, partially in elevation and partially in section,taken along the line 2222 of Fig. 21; and

Figs. 23, 24 and 25 are views taken along the line 2323 of Fig. 22 andshowing three different positions of the elements comprising theautomatic means for actuating the conveyor mechanism embodied in mymachine.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 3, a machine embodying a form of my inventionis mounted upon a base or bed plate 25 and comprises two forward spacedside frames 26 which are bolted to the bed plate 25 and upon which ahorizontal table 27 is mounted. A central supporting frame 28 and a rearsupporting frame 29 likewise serve to mount and to firmly hold the table27 in a fixed horizontal position.

The articles to be operated upon by my machine, which may be newspapers,sheets of papers, magazines, etc., represented at 73 in Figs. 6 and 7,are disposed upon the upper surface of the table 27 and in contact withtransversely spaced conveyor chains 42 that travel in channels 43 whichare cut longitudinally in the upper face of the table 27.

First, I will describe the mechanism for delivering the articles 73 tothe portion of my machine where each article may be handled separatelyand automatically.

1 ,aeaeea A forward supporting bracket 30 and a rear supporting bracket31 of Fig. l are positioned vertically on the same side of the table 27,as shown best. in Fig. 3. The brackets 30 and 31 provide bushings inwhich shafts 32 are journalled, each of said brackets supporting at itstop and bottom the bushings for the said shafts. These four shafts 32are disposed at he corners of a rectangle, such as is shown best in lEach shaft 32 extends through, and projects on both sides from, itsassociated bushingwhich is formed therein. Two sprocket wheels 33 areseverally secured to the two projecting ends of each shaft 32, the innergroup of sprocket wheels 33 lying in substantially the same verticalplane and likewise the outer group of sprocket wheels 33.

It will thus be observed that two groups of sprocket wheels 33 lie intwo spaced parallel and vertical planes, as shown in Fig. 3, while thesprocket wheels of each group are similarly placed at the corners of arectangle as shown in Fig. 2.. Two endless saroeket chains 34severallyengage the perlpheries of the two groups of sproclitet wheels 33 thusforming two transversely spaced andparallel endless conveyor chains thattravel around the peripheries of the two similar rectangles mentionedabove.

The sprocket chains'34 are of the usual form of construction and supportat spaced intervals (groups of fingers 35 that are mounted uponhorizontal .y projecting shafts 36 which extend. through correspondinglinks of the two spaced sprocket chains 34 to which the shafts 36 aresecured. The shatts 36 extend transversely over the table 27 and havethe fingers 35 severally secured thereto, these fingers being spacedequally from one another upon the shafts 36, if desired.

In Fig. 4 I have shown the construction by means of which the links ofthe two endless chains 34 are retained in spaced relasprocket chains34and a sleeve 38, through whichthe shaft 36 projects, is placedintermediate and in abutting engagement with the chains 34therebymaintaining the chains in spaced relation to each other.

vShoes 39 of Figs. 1 and. 4, which are placed exteriorly of, and incontact with, the inner sprocket chain 34 and through which the shafts36 extend are firmly secured to the shafts by means of pins 39. Theshoes 39 are :idapted to slidingl the upper surfaces of; a horizontalangle iron member 44 which extends longitudinally of the table 27, asshown in Fig. 1. The angle iron-44is bolted to a side frame 45 thatlikewise ex- .tendslongitudinally of the table 27. The

side frame 45 is secured to the bracket supports 30and 31 by means ofscrew 46. The n-ojecting ends of theshafts 36adjacent to the shoes 39extend transversely over the table 27 and to these portions of theshafts the fingers 35 are secured by any suitable means. The other endsof the shafts 36 which project through the outer sprocket chain 34 arelikewise severally provided with shoes 40 that are firmly secured to theshafts 36 by means of pins The upper faces of the shoes 40 slidingly theunder surface of a horizontal member 7 that entends longitudinally ofthe table 27 and is bolted to the brackets 30 and 31 by means of bolts48. it will thus be observed that each of the shafts when travellingalong the lower sides of the rectangles formed by the two endlesssprocket chains 34, is maintained in a horizontal. position by reason ofthe ,engn ilent of he shoes 39 and 40 with the horizontal retainingmembers 44 and 47.

When'the fingers 35 occupy their lowest position, that is, when they aretravelling along the lower sides of the rectangular configurat ons inwhich the two sprocket chains 34 are arranged, these fingers may besubjected to severe mechanical strains resulting from the weight of thearticles 73 which the fingers 35 are adapted to engage and which arelocated upon the table 27 in order to be conveyed to the feedingmechanism of my machine. As will be hereinafter explained, the articles'73 which are delivered to the feeding mechanism of my machine aretransferred thereto by means the lingers 35. Each of the shafts 36,therefore, when serving to deliver articles to the feeding mechanism, ashereinafter explained, will tend to become displaced from its horizontalposition. but this is precluded since each of the shafts 36 is fulcrumed on the angle iron 44 and restrained from movement out of itshorizontal position by reason of the sliding engagement l ietween theshoe 40 and the member 47.

Each of the shafts 36 is rotatably mounted in the links comprising thechains 34 and the shoes 39 and 40 are firmly secured to the shafts 36.Likewise the fingers 35 are secured to the shafts 36. i

The shafts 36 are maintained in horizontal positions even when they aretravelling along the two cues and the upper side of the rectanglesformeiil by the endless sprocket chains 34. Two vertical angle irons 56of p of the rectangle formed by the inner rocket chain 46 is slidinglyengaged by the shoes 39 on its upper face. The horizontal angle iron 49extends longitudinally of the table 27 and is bolted to the supportingbrackets 30 and 31. A longitudinally extending member 50 also bolted tothe supporting brackets 30 and 31 is slidingly engaged by the shoes 40that are secured to the outer sprocket chain 3s. When the shafts aretravelling along on the upper sides oi the rectangles they aremaintained in their horizontal positions by means of the shoes 39 beingtulcrumed on the upper face of the angle irons l9 and restrained fromrocking movement by means of the shoes 40 being held by the member 50. The brackets of serve to support the framework comprising the rectanglesaround which the two endless sprocket chains 34- travel and thesebrackets 51 are bolted to the supporting brackets 30 and 31 by means ofbolts 52. Bracket-s 53, shown in Fig. 3, likewise serve to support themembers comprising the rectangles and particularly the longitudinallyextending and horizontal member 50 with which the shoes 40 slidinglyengage as the two sprocket chains 3% travel along the peripheries of therectangles.

A compression rod extends longitudinally oi" the 27 and connects theupper ends the supporting brackets 30 and Eli in order to maintain therectangles rigid.

As the fingers 35 advance, the articles 73 that are to be delivered. tothe feeding niechanism, it is necessary that the fingers 35. upon beingreleased from contact with the articles, disengage therefrom in such amanner that the fingers will not tear or mutilate the articles. Byreferring to Fig. it will be seen how this is accomplished. As the shoe39 disengages "from the angle iron 44 at the corner oi the rectangle,the weight of tl'. fingers 35, that are secured to the same sha 36whereto the shoe 39 is secured, will cause the shoe to assume a newposition by reason oil the fingers falling into substantially verticalpositions as a result of gravity action. As a consequence, the lingers35 will project downwardly when the shoe 39 disengages from the angleiron ll. At the same time, the shoe 39 is traveling around the sprocketwheel 33 which is disposed at the same corner of the rectangle. When thefingers are pointing vertically downward they will have no tendency tomutilate or disturb the articles which they have conveyed andsubsequently released.

As the chain ii-l; travels upwardly, the shoe 39 will abut against theend 57 of the angle iron 56 that is vertically located at the end oi?the rectangle. is the shoe 89 engages the end 57, as shown by the dottedlines 01 Fig. 2, the shaft 36 to which the shoe 35) is secured will berotated as the chain at 1 ,aeasaa ccn 'iues travel upwardly.Consequently, the ers 35 will be forced to such a posi tion that theywill extend laterally and up \rardly from the end of the rectangle asshown in Fig. 1. Since the relative positions of tie s 39 and thefingers 35 are fired, after initial adjustment, the fingers 35 occup isuch positions relative to the shoes 39, that the figers may readilyengage with articles 73 located at the far end of the table as thechains Set, on their travel around the periphery of the rectangles bringthe rs successively into contact with the articles be delivered to theteedingmechanism.

its hereinafter to be explained the travel the endless chains is broughtabout by s of a sprocket chain 168 of Fig. 3 that e: ges a sprocketwheel 168 which is mounted on the end of the shaft 32 upon which thosesprocket wheels 33 closely adjacent to the feeding mechanism of mymachine are located.

iiil'tcr the papers, magazines or other artis 73 have been delivered tothe fore part oi the machine by the feeding fingers 35 and the conveyorchains 42, the articles 73 will engpged by two spaced-Joggers 58 (Fig.5; as siown in r igs. 6 and It is, or course, understood that theconveyor chains 42 work in conjunction with the traveling fingers 35, aswill later appear, in order that the articles "2'3 may be carried intoproximity to the space provided by the walls 45 and partitions $5. Thejoggers 58 periodically tamp the upper exposed edges of the articles 73thereby forcing the articles to arrange themselves into stacks thatengage steps 59 which extend transversely of the table 27 and aresecured thereto by means of screws 60.

The jogger-s act in unison and have imted to them an up-and-down ortampi motion by reason of their being connected to the cam mechanismillustrated in Figs. 5, 6. T and i2. Attention is first directed to Fig12 wherein portion of a jogger lever 5: is shown whereto one of thejoggers 58 is attached. The jogger lever 68 receives its 'tampin orup-and-down motion from a cam 61 that mounted upon a rotatable shaft 106and has a cam guide-way 61 cut therein. A. roller 62 is adapted totravel in the guide-way 61" and serves to impart the proper motion to acam lever 63, the roller being secured thereto by means of apin (Set.,The cam lever comprises an extending guiding-rod portion which isembraced by a helical spring element 65. The helical spring element 65,which serves as a compression member, is interposed between the portionof the cam lever 63 that is immediately adjacent to the guiding-rod 65and a block member 72 that is slidably mounted upon the guiding-rod 65.The block 72 is secured at the outer end of the met ane ide-rod portionby means ofthe nuts 12?. An a'rm 6 6 is pivotally secured: to the block72'an'd is adapted to' slide therewith "as the block-72 compresses -thespring' fid The arm 66 is secured to a j o'gger'shaft 67 which isjournalled in the side frame" 26" and is oscillated about its axisbyreason of the motion irn artcd thereto hy the arm 665 as shown in iglThe jog-gen arm-cs is bolt ed-to the jogger shaft 67 bymeans of'a bolt69. The jog i arm fi8, asshown inFi'gs'; 6 and 7, has oltedto its outerextremity a jogger support 69 which is secured thereto by means of abolt 70. The joggen58 is mounted upon the jogger support 69. and anadjusting bolt 71'; which extendsthrough thejogger armti8 and ana'rcuate slot formed in the jogger support 69 permits the adj ust ing ofthe relative osit-ionof the joggef1 58 B'y' referring't'o' igif3in'conjunction with Fig. 5 it will be obs'ei'ved that: the jogger-s 58 aremounted at spaced intcrvals upoii the rotatable shaft 67 to which theyaresecuredf.

The force imparted? to" the joggers 58' by means of the cam61ishushioned by'the{com'' pression spring 65 of Fig; 12 spring65th'erefore protectsthef exposed edges of the articles 73= from being't'amped too severely by meansof hun -resilient and intense blows thatwould otherwiseresult from the tamping action of the joggers"58 if tee-0m pression spring 65 did" not serve to relieve the tamp'ing blowsmmundiuy extreme Pr s e f When the articles T3havebeen tamped so thatthey occupy the positionsillustrated in Figs. 6 and7,"theup,per article73 isbro'ught into contact with lif ers'f if(Fig. 3) which are spacedtransversely ofi thetable 27 and are severally rovided with yafiiliimcup members 75 i V v i such a s rubberfwhich' ensuresah air-tightsuction contact between thelift'ers 74' and the articles 73'astheysuceessively reach the upper and exposed positioiiat the top of thestack where each articlqin brought into direct contact with thevacuum-cups? 5.

As willbe hereinafter each of the lifters 74 is a hollow member: and comv tothem throu h a ,cam mechanism which is illustrated'in 5,10 Attentionis directed to the structure shown in F1 10 wherein the lifter'M, shownin dotted lines,

pi iel ae me fi e e ei lif r e v umip m mb s are preferably made of aflexible material,

74 attains its lowest position: when i a; cana roller 85 occupies a;position at: the .center of the cusp formedin a cam-way 84 with whichthe-cam 83is' provided. Thecam 83 is-rotatably mounted upon the shaft106. The cam roller 85' is attached by means of a pin" 85" toacam-lever186and, in conjunction withthecam-Way 84, serves'to impart a noscillating motionto'the cam-lever 86} The cam lever 86 is provided witha cam-lever rod 88 having a"shoul'der 87 formed thereupjon: Extendingfrom the shoulder 87 is-a 'guide-rod 88- which extends; through anopening'formed'in a pin 89 (Figs. 5 and 11). A compressionspring- 101:embraces the outer projecting end' of the guide-rod 88' and is held inposition and in compression by means of nuts 101="that are threaded tothe extreme end of the guide-rodSSk The pin 89'is fiPmlYSBCHIGd'tO arocker arm 90which is rotated by means of the motion imparted thereto bythe rocking action of the camlever 86. As illustrated in Fig11,'the'rocl er arm is keyed to a rotatable tuhular member 91 by meansofa lrey9f6l the tubular member 91 extending laterally from [the rockerarm 90 as" shown. a c j By reason of the mechanical connection madebetween the rocker arm 90and tlietu bul'armember 91 through themedium ofthe key 96, the tubular member 91 is rotated inunison with therocking'of the rocker arm 90. The tubular iiiemb'e'r 91'projectsthrougli the support 26' into which'it is joiirnalled. Alaterally extending tubular. portion 92' is formed on the tubular member9 1 and to this portion 92 a tubular member is. secured; I V

referring to Figs. 6, 7 andlO it will be noted that the lifters 74 aresecured to the tubular extension 97/ is/foreover, the hollow members 74:communicate with the tubular extension 97 which, in turn, communicatesthrough the tubular portion 92 with the tubular member 91, of F ig. 11.Again the lifters 74', by means of their mechanical. connection withthe, rocker arm 90,which mechan cal connection is furnished through theforegoing tubular members, move upwardly and downwardly as the rockerarmQO is oscillated by the cam 83. The air in the tubular members 97,92and 91, as well as the air. in the'litters 7;; and the vacuum cups 75 isexhaustedthroiigh apipe 94 WlllCh'lS connected through a valvemechanism, tobe hereinafter described, to any suitable vacuum-pipe. Thepump 9 Lis provided with an elbow 94 thatis threaded intoa stationarynonrrotatable ferrule, 95 whichj inturn, is

socketed in the tubular member 91 as shown particularly in Fig. 11. Asuitable packing 98 which is heldin position by means of a collar 99thatis secured to the rocker arm 90 by means of screws 100, serves tomaintain an airtight connection between the stationary pipe 94, thestationary ferrule95 and the rotatable tubular member 91. r

The lifters 74 whichv simultaneously engage the topmostarticle 7 3 atseveral spaced points serve to lift the article 73 as shown in Fig. 7 sothat it may be delivered to feeder rollers 104. When the topmost articlehas been brought to a proper position by the lifters 74 the outer edgeof the lifted article 73 is grasped between a finger 102 and a cushionmember 103. both. of which are mounted upon the rotatable feeder roller104. As soon as the article 73 has been grasped by the finger 102 itisnecessary that the lifters 74 release the articles 73. This re lease iseffected by admitting air into the lifters 74 which air is admittedthrough the pipe 94 and the tubular members associated therewith. Itwill be seen, therefore, that the lifters 74 should engage the topmostarticle 73 at the proper time, lift it upwardly and then release it in asuitable time interval thereafter. The mechanism by-which the lifters 74are alternately evacuated ant supplied with air, in proper sequence andat the proper time intervals, is illustrated in Figs. 13, 14 and 15 towhich'attention is now directed.

y A cam 107 that is keyed to shaft 113 (Fig. 3) is provided with acam-way 107 that is traversed by a roller 121. The roller 121 isconnected by a pin 122 to a regulating; plate 108. The regulating plate108 is previded with a laterally-formed recess or chamher 109 which isadapted to bridge either a chamber 110 and a chamber 111 simultaneouslyin order to establish communication therebetween, .or to bridge thechamber 110 and a chamber 114 simultaneously for the same purpose. Thechambers 110. 111 and 114 are formed in a block member 112 that issecured by means of bolts 11.2 to a portion of the, support 26. Thechambers 110. 111 and 114 do not communicate -with one another exceptthrough .the agenc, of the chamber 109. The chamber 110 communicatesdirectly with the pipe 94 which. in turn. is connected to all of thevacuum cup lifters 74. The chamber 111 is connected to a pipe 93 thatextends to a vacuum pump or any other suitable evacuating mechanism. Thechamber 114 is provided witha port hole 115 which communicates with theouter air. Theregulating; plate 1.08 is pivoted to a stub shaft 116 thatextends through the frame 26 and'issccured thereto by means of nut 117.A. compression'sprinp; 118 is interposed between the regulating plate108 and a collar 119 which is secured to the end of the stub shaft 116by ascrew Thus the spring- 1-18 serves to p: ss the regulating plateagainst the ail'iacent and coactinu face of the block member- 112thereby ensuring .a her metically sealed. sliding contact between theblockmember 112 and the adjacent face of the regulating plate 108. Whenthe regu lating plate. 108'occupies the position shown in Figs; 13 and15, the chambers 110 and 111 are in direct communication with each otherthrough the chamber 109. As a consequence, the pipe and its associated.members are being evacuated through the pipe 93. "The cam 107 is sotimed that when th lifters 7.4 are in con-tact with the topmost article'73, the regulating plate 108 occupies theposition shown in F ig. 13,thereby causinc; the lifters74 and their associate vacuum cups tobeevacuated so as to hold the engaged article 73 in close contact withthe lifters in order to deliver the articleto the feeding-rolls. ,VVhenthe lifters 74 occupy the position as shown in Fig. 6 the regulatingplate 108 .occupies the position shown in 13. After the engaged article73 0 has been lifted up and fed to the feed rollers .104, the lifters 74arepermitted to disengage from the article 73 by reason of theregulating plate 108 having. by this time, assumed the position showninFig. 14. In this instance. the chamber 109 formed in the regulatingplate 108 affords direct commnnication betweenthe chambers 114 and 110.The. evacuating pipe 93 havingthus been disconnected from the pipe 94,which is now in direct communication with the outer air through the porthole 115, permits the lift crs 74 to disengagefrom the lifted article7,3.

In order to preclude more than one article 751 being raised at the sametime by the lifters 174, a separating knife75" of Figs. 8 and. 9 isprovided. Referring to these figures, it will be observed that theseparating knife 75" is mounted :upon a bracket 76 which is pivotallysecured by means of a bolt '78 to a support 77 that in turn. is boltedto the side wall 4:1 by means of a bolt79. The elevation oftheseparatingknife 7,5 may be adjusted by means of the bolt 7 9. Thespring); secured. to a support 81 exerts a clownward pressure uponthepivoted arm 76 and thus restrains the separating knife 75"? frommoving horizontally unless the arm 76 is moved manually. The support 81is likewise secured to the side frame 45 by means of screws The articles73,, as hereinbefore explained. are tainped by means of the joggers58910 that they are brought into contact with the stops The level atwhich the stack of articles'73 is maintained is controlled. as will, beexplained below. As the articles 73 are lifted from the stack in whichthey are comprised, the separating knife 7 5" scrapes on theexp'osededgre of the articles and thus precludes more than one article78 being deliveredat the same time.

"When the lifters'z'l haveenga ged the article at'the top of' the stackand raised it to the proper position an edge of the article 73 isgrasped between a finger102 and a cushion further rotation of the feedrollers 104 will assume the position shown by the dotted line 102 of 7.i l guide-way 141 permi the article 78 to slide from the feed rol andwill direct the movement of the delivered articles as desired.

Referring now to Fi 6, T and 21 the feed rollers 140 are mounted upon arotatab e shaft Fig. the ends of which are journallcd in floatingbearing blocks 143 that are permitted to move upwardly and downwardly byreason o guide-ways cut therein which are slidi engaged by projcctions144 which are integrally formed on the frame The bearing" locks .43 ea:-tend through openings formed in the frame 26 and are retained inposition by means of the aforesaid projections 144.

Compression springs 145 are inserted be tween the bearing; blocks 143and surfaces 146 which form the bottom of the openings in the frame 26that contain the bearing blocks 143. The pressures exerted by thesprings 145 firmly compress the rollers 149 against the serratedsurfaces 139 of the feed rollers 104 thereby ensuring that the articles73 as they pass through the feed rollers, will be firmly gripped. T hepressures exerted by the springs 145 upon the floating bearing blocks143 may be regulated by means of bolts 147 and lock-nuts 148, said boltsengaging the bearing blocks 143 and extending through the frame 26.

From the foregoing description of the method of delivering the articles7 3 severally to the feed rollers 104 and 140, it will be apparent thatthe articles could not be delivered at a sufficiently high rate torequire the continuous operation of the conveyor chains 42 and thedelivery fingers 35 of Figs. 1 and 3. In the present instance I have.therefore, provided means for intermittently operating,- the conveyorchains 42 and the delivery fingers 35 in order that a proper supply ofarticles 73 may be delivered to the lifters 74. The operation of theconveyor chains 42 and the delivery ting'ers 35 is regulated by theheight of the stack comprising; the articles 73 that rests against thestops 59 of Figs. 6 and 7. In Fig. 6, a finger 149 secured to arotatable shaft 150 by means of a bolt 151 engages the top of the stackof articles 73 and the finger 149 is the instrument by means of which 1control the intermittent operation of the conveyor or delivery mechanismto the articles 73 to the stops 59.

Since the finger 149 engages the top of the stack of articles 7 it isobvious that the finger 149 must be lifted upwardly to release thetopmost article 7 3 as it is engaged and raised by the lifters 74. Inorder to lift the finger 149 at the proper time so that the topmostarticle may be firmly grasped without opposition by the lifters 7 4, thefinger 149 is actuated by the jogger cam 61, as shown in Fig. 12. Inthis figure it will. be observed that the shaft 150 to which the finger149 is firmly secured is rotated by means of an arm 155 that is securedat its upper end to a block 154 (Fig. 5) by means of a stud 156 and anut 157. The block 154 is slidingly mounted upon an extension 152 formedon the rod 152 that is connected to the cam lever 63 by means of a bolt153. The block 154 abuts against a shoulder 159 formed on the rod 152and a spring 158 cmbraces the extension 152 and controls the pressureexerted by the finger 149 from the stack of articles 7 3. The spring 158will be compressed when the height of the stack of articles 78 is suchthat the finger 149 cannot travel freely the full distance downwardly asthe cam 61 rotates. When the lifters 74 engage the topmost article 73and raise it upwardly the finger 149 will be actuated by the jogger cam61, as explained above, and will be raised at the proper time so thatmovement of the topmost article 7 3 will not be hindered. The actuationof the finger 149 is ensured by reason of the positive engagementbetween the shoulder 159 formed on the rod 152 and the slidable block154 that is firmly pressed thereagainst.

When the level of the stack of articles 78 falls below a certainpredetermined height the finger 149, by reason of its movementdownwardly as the stack decreases, will cause a tripping finger 160,shown in Fig. 21, to engage a projection 161 formed on a latch 162. Thefinger 149 is firmly secured to the shaft 150 which extends through theframe 26 and on the outer end of which the tripping finger 160 issecured. The latch 162 is secured to a stub shaft 163 which likewiseprojects laterally from the frame 26. Then the projection 161 issufficiently depressed by the tripping finger 160, the latch 162 willdisengage itself from a projection 164 that is formed on a cam member184, as will hereinafter appear. A tension spring element 169, havingone of its ends secured to the frame 26 and the other embracing a pin190 that extends laterally from the projection 164 to which the pin issecured, will pull the projection 164 downwardly as it is released bythe latch 162. Since the pro jection 164 is a part of a cam 184 that isrotatably mounted upon a shaft 167, the cam 184 will be rotated by theaction of the spring 169. When the cam 184 is moved by the spring 169 byreason of the disengagement of the latch 162 from the projection 164, apawl 165 will engage a ratchet wheel 166 that is keyed to the shaft 167as shown in Fig. 23. The pawl 165 has an oscillatory motion imparted toit and, as a consequence, it will engage the teeth on the ratchet wheel166 in succession thereby rotating the shaft 167 to which sprocketwheels 168 of Figs.

6 and 7 are secured. The sprocket wheels 168 actuate the conveyor chains42 that serve as a means for delivering the articles 7 8 to the teedrollers 104 and 146.

It will also be observed by referring to the right-hand side of Fig. 8that a snaift 170 is also rotated by'the shaft 167, the former beingprovided with a gear 111 that meshes with a gear 172 keyed'on the end ofthe shaft 167. A sprocket wheel 169 is mounted on the shaft 170 and thechain 168 passes over the sprocket wheel 169 as ,well as the sprocketwheel 168 that is mounted on an extension of the shaft 82 which shaft islocated immediately, adjacent to the feeding mechanism. 34 formin therectangular configuration, shown in ig. 1, are rotated by reason of thesprocket chain 168 and, as a result, the delivery fingers 35 will thusserve to deliver the articles 73 to the feeding mechanism, ashereinbefore explained.

Attention is now directed to Figs. 22, 28, 24 and 25 in connection. withthe mechanism illustrated in Fig, 21. The gearwheel 175, as will behereinafter described, serves to transmit power through a link 179 thatis pivotally secured to it by means of a bolt 180. The other end of thelink 179 is piv otally secured to a rocker arm 181 by means of a bolt182. As shown particularly in Fig. 22, the rocker arm 181 is providedwith an integral extension 181 to which the pawl 165 is pivotallysecured by means of a bolt 188. A compression spring 186 is contained ina recess formed in the extension 181 and serves to press the pawl 165into p0sitive sliding engagement with the ratchet wheel. 166. As thegear 175 rotates the pawl 165 is given an oscillatory or back-andt'orthmotion by reason of the link mechanism comprising the link members 179,181 and 181.. A roller 185 is placed immediately adjacent to the pawl.165 and is rotatably mounted on the extension 181 so that as the roller185 is moved the pawl 165 will likewise move. The roller 185 is .sopositinned that it is adapted to be engaged by the cam 184. The cam 1184is rotatably mounted upon the shaft 167 as shown in Figs. .18, 24 and25, by embracing a sleeve 18? that is formed integral with the ratchetwheel 166. The ratchet wheel 166 iskeyed to the shaft 167 by means 01"akey 188 that engages the sleeve 187.

The earn 184, in addition to being provided with the extension 164 isalso provided with a projection 184. When the latch 162 is held inengagement with. the projection 164, as shown in Figs. 23 and 24 andwhich condition obtains when the stack of articles 78 has not tallenbelow a certain predetermined level, the projection 184 of the cam 184occupies the position as shown. The pawl 165 in Fig. 24 is disengagedfrom The sprocket chains the ratchet wheel 166 by reason of theprojection 184' of the cam elevating the roller 185 that is securedtothe pawl 165. In this position, the pawl 165 is disengaged from theratchet wheel 166 and. as a consequei'iee,

cannot rotate the shaft 167 which controls the "feeding or the articles73 to the feed rollers as l iereinbefore described. As the gear wheel175 cont nues to rotate the pawl 165 will periodically assume thepositions shown in .Figs. 23 and 24. While the pawl is shown inengagementwith the ratchet wheel 166 in Fig, 28 the pawl has reachedtheend of its travel and consequently does jection 164 upwardly, the cam184 precludes the pawl 1651mm rotating the ratchet wheel 166 as the pawloscillates back and forth by means of the continued rotatio-nof the gearwheel 175. The mechanism will occ-upy the positions shown in Figs. 23and 24 as long as the finger 149 has'not fallen to such a level as willcause the latch 162 to be disengaged from the projection 164 formed onthe cam 184.

' When the stack of articles 7 3 falls below a certain level, the finger149 will be substantially depressed and cause the tripping finger 160 toengage the projection 161 secured to the latch 162. Asiaconsequence, thelatch 162 will become disengaged from the projection 164. The spring 169will earn-1e the cam 184 to assume the position shown in Fig.25. ddlhenthe cam occupies this position, the ro-ller'185 whichis adapted, when incontact with the cam 184, to hold the pawl 165 from operative engagementwith the ratchet wheel 166, permits the pawl 165 to successively engagethe several teeth formed on the ratchetwheel 166 and the pawl is given arotatable oscillatory mo tion through the continuous rotating oi: the

gear Wheel 17 5.

It will be. observed by referring-to Figs. 22 and 25 that the cam 184 isperiodically restored to the position indicated in Figs. 23 and 24 byreasonot the continuous rocking of the lever 181 whichisprovided with anintegrally formed extension 189 that abuts against the pin 190 securedtothe cam extension 164. Asthe lever 181 is rocked the cam 184 will belikewise rocked thereby extending the springelement 169, If the latch.162 is restored to its normal position by beingreleased from engagementwith the rocker finger 160, the latch will then engage the camprojection 164 and hold the cam in the positions shown in Figs. 28 and24. However, it the latch 162 is still held in disengaged position as aresult

